Pie Hard by Kirsten Weiss

Greetings readers! I am happy to report that I have read and am ready to review Pie Hard, a new Kensington release, February 26, 2019 by Kirsten Weiss. This is the third book in the Pie Town Series, and in my opinion is the best so far. In this cozy mystery, main character Valentine Harris finds herself in one heck of a crazy reality check, I was entertained and intrigued through the entire book and never had it or the multiple and clever plot twists figured out. I struggled to put the book down and very much enjoyed long stretches of this book whenever I could. I think this is a terrific book and a fun series. I loved the title, the premis, cover and book.

Will Val pie hard on national TV? Business at the bakery may have slowed down, but Val Harris isn’t about to eat humble pie—not until a reality cooking show decides to whip the struggling Pie Town into shape. If Val can tolerate criticism from an abrasive pastry chef during filming, the free publicity might turn the unusual opportunity into the sweetest deal she didn’t know she needed. Except no one in San Nicholas has an appetite for dessert once murder steals the spotlight. When the show’s bossy producer gets pushed to her death, Val and her flaky, septuagenarian pie crust expert, Charlene, follow crumbs in hopes of finding the killer. But with cameras still rolling and the shocking identity of the victim’s replacement a guaranteed recipe for disaster, Val needs to stay cool long enough to solve the crime and keep Pie Town from falling apart—or else she just might go up in smoke before she ever graces the small screen.

Pie Hard can be found on Amazon by clicking here (Please know I am not an amazon affiliate.) 

Thank you for your patience, and for joining me for a cup of tea and a cozy mystery review.
I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

Bound by Kirsten Weiss

I read Bound By Kirsten Weiss, yesterday. I had been wanting to read it for quite sometime and I was very much in the mood for a paranormal cozy. Bound is a story about triplet witches and their aunt. This is as much a fantasy book as it is a paranormal cozy. It really has something for everyone who loves a good fairy tale. It was not what I expected, I thought it would be quite predictable but I happily found that it was not. This is an established series I was happy to find and that I can pick up with these sisters anytime I want. I bought mine on Amazon.com

Bound by magic, bound by love, bound by murder… The Bonheim triplets live seemingly ordinary lives, hiding their magic from the neighbors in the small, mountain town of Doyle, California. But when a body is found in big sister Jayce’s coffee shop, Karin, the practical one, is determined to prove Jayce innocent. A murder isn’t the only bizarre event in Doyle. Why are hikers vanishing in the nearby woods? Why are some people cursed with bad luck and others with good? And why is Karin’s magic the weakest of the three sisters’? As Karin digs deep to uncover the truth and regain her magic, her family is thrown into peril. Will her power return too late to save the people she loves the most, or will it be the cause of disaster? Bound is Book One in the Witches of Doyle Trilogy. Spells included at the back of the book!

Thank you for joining me for a cup of tea and a cozy mystery review I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com 

Deja Moo, by Kirsten Weiss

 I found Kirsten Weiss' upcoming March release Deja Moo, to be a very uplifting holiday themed cozy. This one is Christmas themed even though there are three lovely Witch dolls on the fun cover, it is a Christmas Cozy through and through and a great addition to this series. This is a very light paranormal cozy in that it is implied but not overly paranormal. I like the diverse characters and the really different job that main character Maddie has in owning and running a Paranormal Museum, even when she is a very large skeptic herself. In this story she and her mother have a great adventure and work together to help solve the mystery of the Christmas Cow Cursed bells, Seriously loved the idea of this mystery! You will have to wait until March but I recommend this series and this mystery to be added to your to be read list for sure! 

A holiday tradition turns deadly, but is the paranormal museum to blame?

Maddie Kosloski is no fan of San Benedetto's Christmas Cow, a thirty-foot straw bovine that graces the town square every December. For one thing, the cow displaces her paranormal museum as the number one tourist attraction. Plus, every year, despite around-the-clock surveillance, the cow goes up in flames.

But this year, there's more than just a fire blazing in Maddie's wine-country hometown. One of the Christmas Cow guards has been found with an arrow in his chest, and Maddie's new haunted cowbell exhibit is fueling a panic. Are the spirits in her museum getting too hot to handle? If Maddie can't stop the hysteria―and the murderous archer―her holiday plans might not be the only thing full of holes.

This one can be pre ordered on Amazon by clicking here. 
Thank you for joining me for a cup of tea and a cozy mystery review I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

On my table and in my cup January 6th-13th

Good morning from the Wet West Coast, perfect day for being inside for hockey games and home reading, or if you are like my sister, outside for soccer (one of the reasons I did not push them to become soccer players) I have been reading Deja Moo and upcoming paranormal cozy from a series I enjoy written by Kristen Weiss.

It has been a really busy but really fun week in the teacup department for me, I have been hitting the local thrift stores and scoring some lovely deals this week which I will share more about later next week and I have found some great journals at our local dollar store. I am going to do my very best not to lose it. I did clean my desk today and found the four other journals I had purchased late last year and promptly buried so I should be writing like crazy this year. 

In my cup this week I have been having a few different and lovely new teas. The one I had a friend mailed me and it was a Tazo tea called butterscotch blondie and if you have any in your stores, grab it! So good and now I have to track it down. It tasted like I was drinking tea and cookies, loved it! I have also had I love Tea #7, from Davids Tea, Vanilla black and Balmoral Blend Tea from Murchies. It has been perfect tea and reading weather this week.

In addition to reading, rescuing teacups and saucers and drinking tea. I attended a funeral for a family friend who passed away last week. He was part of my childhood and a man who gave his love of sport and who made support of children as his life's work. He was a pillar of our community and it was an honor to know him, have him as a coach and teacher. My heart goes out to the community, to his family and to all who new Vern Baker.  He was there for so many of us and in the end about 1000 of us were there for him. A three hour service and send off for him was an honor to be witness too. 

A true delight to have this weeks release of Sheila Connolly's Many A Twist to read. I have to tell you this series is one of my favorites. Based in Ireland and the twists in this one were spectacular. A great read and binge worthy series!

The Spirit of Grace by Terry Lynn Thomas was unlike any other paranormal cozy I had read before. Delightful and so happy to have had it on my table! A great read!

Cookies and Scream is the second book in the series and I loved it, CeeCee Jame's Baker Street Mysteries are good, touching and easy to love.

Libby Klein has a book coming out later this month that is a MUST READ. I related to the character perfectly, loved the story line and pretty much everything about it. Order this one for sure, I can not wait to see where this series goes.

I have also been working hard on the upcoming 24/7 event on the Beyond The Bookmarks Event Page called Cupids Cozies, we have 22+ authors coming by, crafts, recipes, great cozies and so much more. You can join us by clicking here. 

Thank you for joining me for a look back at what has been on my table and what is in my cup this week. I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

The Quiche and the Dead by Kirsten Weiss

I read Kirsten Weiss' The Quiche and The Dead last week and it is a unique and fun cozy. It has a good mystery tied up in conspiracy and that perfect balance of small town political power meets unsuspecting and unwilling amature sleuth! But it is also a great book about standing your ground even when your legs are shaking, because it is the right thing to do. Loved the over the top support characters Charlene especially. Looks like Kirsten Weiss has laid the groundwork for a great new series. 

Owning her own business seemed like pie in the sky to Valentine Harris when she moved to the coastal California town of San Nicholas, expecting to start a new life with her fiancé. Five months—and a broken engagement—later, at least her dream of opening a pie shop has become a reality. But when one of her regulars keels over at the counter while eating a quiche, Val feels like she's living a nightmare. After the police determine the customer was poisoned, business at Pie Town drops faster than a fallen crust. Convinced they’re both suspects, Val's flaky, seventy-something pie crust maker Charlene drags her boss into some amateur sleuthing. At first Val dismisses Charlene’s half-baked hypotheses, but before long the ladies uncover some shady dealings hidden in fog-bound San Nicholas. Now Val must expose the truth—before a crummy killer tries to shut her pie hole.

This one is published by Kensignton and The Quiche and the Dead will be out October 31st! Click here for the listing on Amazon. 

On my table and in my cup September 30th- October 7th

On my table this weekend is Jenny Kales Secrets and Pies, the third book in the Callie's Kitchen Mystery series. Just started it and will share my review in a few days!

Don't forget later this month I have a great event to celebrate for the release on the 19th on the Beyond The Bookmarks Event page! You can RSVP by clicking here.

In my cup this week in addition to my Murchie's Vanilla Black stand by, I have also enjoyed my Fortnum and Mason Cranberry black tea, this weekend is Thanksgiving here in Canada and I will be spending the weekend basically eating.  I realized the other day as I took my bunny bowl out of the cupboard that I have used this bowl for 42 years. It's in pretty good shape and it has stood the test of time. Royal Doulton still makes Bunnykins and I really think this is one of my favorite patterns.

I did a bit of reading this week and The Quiche and the Dead by Kirsten Weiss is coming up for review tomorrow.

Later this month I will be reviewing Delia James Familiar Motives, I am thrilled my own familiar Squirrel joined me in the photo!

I got the most lovely surprise in the mail this week, a teacup from my friend Jennifer and I loved how it paired so well with the cover of The Secret Book & Scone Society. I loved this book and I anxiously await what will happen next.

Also on my table this week was Much Ado About Murder, this one was a lovely  cozy and highly dramatic! Theater cozies are so much fun.

I wish you all the very best this holiday weekend and look forward to sharing more with you tomorrow! Thank you for joining me for a cup of tea and a week in review. I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

On My Table and In My Cup November 12-19th

Saturday morning and time for another week in review. This morning I have Frosty The Dead Man on my table, the third book in the Snow Globe Shop Mystery by Christine Husom. I am looking forward to sharing my review of this December 6th release with you all.

Knowing where I am going in the next few months has helped me with the idea of having to move out of the home we have lived in for the last 7 years. Leaving the neighborhood is hard for me, it is something I am struggling with. However the new place has built in book shelves so that is helping...
Reading Spouse on Haunted Hill was a lot like going home. This is book eight and was beyond wonderful. I hung on each word, easily picturing the setting, characters and mystery. Delightful to the end!

The end of December has some fantastic books coming out as well. The second book in the Jennifer David Hesse Wiccan Wheel Mystery Series is very exciting. A great mystery and a wonderful book, while the main character is Wiccan this is really not a paranormal cozy, it happens to be a great cozy, fun mystery and a character who just happens to walk the path of a Wiccan Witch. Loved it! Can not wait to read the first one, the second one was so good I must go and buy the first one.

Death Takes Priority, book one in the Postmistress series by Jean Flowers, was another cozy I enjoyed this week, I read and reviewed book two in September and was thrilled to go back and see how it all started.

Pressed to Death by Kirsten Weiss actually doesn't come out until next March but I got a sneak peak this past weekend and it was such a treat. Story, subject matter and cover, had me hook, line and sinker!
Not a lot new in my cup this week, choosing to stay in my comfort zone with the black vanilla tea from Murchies this week in my cup.  I did sneak a Christmas Eve Tea by Stash in twice, but had them in my mug so not sure that totally counts!
Thank you for joining me for another cup of tea and a week in review. I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

Pressed To Death by Kirsten Weiss

I feel as though a curse has been lifted and I was finally able to settle enough to read tonight, and read I did, word for word until the end. Pressed to Death by Kirsten Weiss was outstanding.
Not out until March 8th, this advanced reading copy I was granted by net galley was exactly what I needed to get me back into the swing of things! This is the second in the Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum Series and something to put on your to be read list!
I love these characters, the rich history found in the items collected by Maddie and properly investigated. I found I was so caught up in the swirling circles of mystery that surrounded Maddie, that when the secondary mystery was reveled it was like a child watching fireworks for the first time! The way that Kirsten writes this story had me hanging on each word, gesture and abnormality. Great relationships, motives and history await the reader in Pressed To Death. This book is a great testament to how paranormal cozies should be written! Fantastic, I loved it and I hate that you have to wait for it! Oh and the cover is spot on for the book!

Perfectly pressed. Perfectly proper. Perfectly deadly. 

Paranormal museum owner Maddie Kosloski thinks she has the perfect paranormal exhibit for the harvest festival―a haunted grape press. But before she can open the exhibit, she’s accused of stealing the antique press. And when her accuser is found murdered, all eyes turn to Maddie.

Solving the crime is the last thing on Maddie’s mind, but her mother insists she investigate. Does her mother have a secret agenda? And why has the local charity, Ladies Aid, seemingly gone gangster?

In this light, cozy mystery, haunted houses, runaway wine barrels, and murder combine in a perfect storm of chaos. Facing down danger and her own over-active imagination, Maddie must unearth the killer 

before she becomes the next ghost to haunt her museum. 

Learn more about this series by clicking here. 

Pre order your own kindle copy or paper back book by clicking here

I can not wait to hear what you all think of it in March! 

Thank you for joining me today for a cup of tea and a cozy review. I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com 

On My Table and In My Cup November 5th-12th

Saturday morning and a bit of a later start for me today. We are to move in a a short while and I was up wrapping my china until the wee hours. I have been so busy I have yet to start this upcoming March release by Kirsten Weiss.

I did finish Ellie Alexander's A Batter of Life and Death earlier in the week, I was thrilled with it. Kicked myself for leaving it at an appointment on Tuesday and had to run back the next day and thankfully they had it. I was able to finish and review it, however I was not able to read on election night as I had wished.

I enjoyed Janice J. Richardson's second book in her Spencer Family Funeral Home series. It was a difficult week this week for some close families of mine loosing loved ones this past week, this series is incredibly comforting if you are someone who has ever lost someone close.  

A week ago I was at the Tea Festival in Vancouver and this weeks tea time adventures have been wonderful. I picked up and purchased several teas to try and have enjoyed a few this week.

Whistlers own Namasthe tea company joined my morning tea ritual this week. I enjoyed their breakfast blend and their booth at the festival so much! This is a tea to add to my rotation for sure.

One of the most exciting discoveries I had at the tea festival is the Wize Monkey Coffee Leaf Tea company, the taste of their teas were outstanding, crisp, fresh and invigorating. I am looking forward to seeing this company grow.

Yesterday we took time to honor the memory of all those who have fought for the freedom we so richly enjoy and those who continue to do so in these uncertain times. It is my hope you enjoy your weekend and that you will join me again here tomorrow of a cup of tea and a cozy review.
I would love to hear from you so please leave  me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

On My Table and In My Cup October 1st-8th

Saturday of the Thanksgiving long weekend here in Canada, it sneaks up on me every year. I think the USA has the right idea by having it in November, though I wont complain I am not cooking this year, duties have fallen to my sister (who is a better cook then me) and my mother in law who's cooking is out of this world. I am very lucky to be sure. I tell you I swear I blinked and it was only labor day weekend.  On my table currently is a new to me cozy called Magicless in Nevermore, love the title and the cover can not wait to get into this one. I may indulge in a paranormal cozy or two every now in again as one does a bag of potato chips...

I did not indulge in as much reading as I would have liked to this week but I did indulge in other things I loved, my friend and I had high tea this week and it was a heavenly escape. The Chocolate Zuccini Bread was out of this world, I am going to have to try my hand at making some myself. I loved their peach black tea we had and tried their Avalon blend which I found to floral. 

 I have been reading Carrie Doyles' very interesting cozy Death on Windmill Way it is my hope to finish it today and share the review with you tomorrow or early next week.

I am still catching myself thinking back to the cozy I read on Sunday and remembering that though I finished the book how much I enjoyed this story. I love it when a  good book stays with you and The Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum was a cozy I really enjoyed.

Released this week Crepe Factor by Laura Childs with Terrie Farley Moran was a great opportunity for me to learn more about the writing process and I am thrilled that Terrie was able to share with me and all of you how that process worked. I am very excited to have had the opportunity to read this one.

I hosted 4 of Vicki Vass Antique Hunter Mysteries on my table this week and loving this series as I do I can not say enough about the way it is written. If you are looking for a great established series that is well written and fun this is a series for you.
I look forward to sharing more cozies and great reviews with you soon. I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

The Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum by Kirsten Weiss

If you follow me on Social Media you may know that on Saturday night I received The Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum, by Kirsten Weiss from my swap partner on Elfster. We do these swaps a few times a year where there is a theme and your partner picks something from your wishlist to send to you. This is the first time I have ever gotten an ebook for my Kindle App. I put this book on my wish list a few weeks ago after seeing it on Lisa K's Book Reviews. I fell in love with the cover and when I read the book intro (see below) I knew I wanted to read it! I was thrilled, setting, plot, characters, and mystery were so well written and I hated to put it down. While this story may not appeal to everyone it appealed to me, a paranormal cozy set in a paranormal museum attached to a tea room and three best friends along with a ghost detecting cat, hook line and sinker this was a book for me. I can not wait to read another book in this series and I hope I don't have to wait long!

When Maddie Kosloski’s career flatlines, she retreats to her wine country hometown for solace and cheap rent. Railroaded into managing the local paranormal museum, she’s certain the rumors of its haunting are greatly exaggerated. But then a fresh corpse in the museum embroils Maddie in murders past and present, making her wonder if a ghost could really be on the loose.

With her high school bully as one of the detectives in charge of the investigation, Maddie doubts justice will be served. When one of her best friends is arrested, she knows it won’t be. Maddie also grapples with ghost hunters, obsessed taxidermists, and the sexy motorcyclist next door as outside forces threaten. And as she juggles spectral shenanigans with the hunt for a killer, she discovers there truly is no place like home.

While the lighting doesn't always work well with my Kindle app/ ipad books I still love having these fantastic reads on my table.
To order your own copy of The Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum by Kirsten Weiss from Amazon please click here. 
To learn more about Author Kirsten Weiss please click here. 
Thank you so much for joining me for a cup of tea and a cozy mystery review. I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com